According to reports, protesters were arrested and assaulted by police officers attempting to disperse the crowd, but President Obama made no mention of that in his brief statement.

As Black America reels from the video showing the execution of 17-year-old Laquan Mcdonald, President Barack Obama joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in calling for “peace,” and reminded his Facebook followers to be thankful for the “honorable” police officers who don’t kill unarmed Black men.

“Like many Americans, I was deeply disturbed by the footage of the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. This Thanksgiving, I ask everybody to keep those who’ve suffered tragic loss in our thoughts and prayers, and to be thankful for the overwhelming majority of men and women in uniform who protect our communities with honor. And I’m personally grateful to the people of my hometown for keeping protests peaceful.” — President Barack Obama

As previously reported by Hello Beautiful, protests erupted across the city in response to what can only be called the unspeakable violence on display in the video — the smoke rising from Laquan’s body as he twitches on the ground, his life seeping away after police officer Jason Van Dyke shot him 16 times.

According to reports, protesters were arrested and assaulted by police officers attempting to disperse the crowd, but President Obama made no mention of that in his brief statement.